Planning your taxes is essential for keeping your personal and corporate finances in order. It entails taking proactive steps to maximize your financial resources by legally minimising tax responsibilities. The three “D’s” of tax planning Deduct, Defer, and Divert are a frequent tax planning technique. Let’s get deeper into each of these tactics.
1. Deduct
One typical method of tax planning is to lower taxable income by deducting costs. Tax deductions are costs that you can deduct from your income or revenue to lower your tax liability. Charitable contributions, mortgage interest, and company expenses are a few examples of tax deductions. You can minimize your tax liability by making the most of your deductions to lower your taxable income.
For instance, if you operate a business, you can lower your tax obligation by deducting costs like rent, supplies, and equipment from your taxable income. Similar to this, you can lower your tax obligation as an individual by deducting costs like mortgage interest and charitable contributions from your taxable income.
2. Defer
Delaying the payment of income or tax obligations is another popular tax planning technique. Delaying the receiving of income until a subsequent tax year, such as by delaying the sale of an investment, is one way to postpone income. Contributing to tax-deferred retirement funds, such a 401(k) or traditional IRA, enables you to postpone making tax payments altogether.
You can lower your current tax liability and pay taxes at a reduced rate by delaying income or tax payments. Delaying can be especially advantageous for you and your business(es) with erratic incomes.
3. Divert
Transferring income to a reduced tax band or a tax-advantaged account is the third tax planning technique. By making investments in tax-advantaged funds like a health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or 529 college savings plan, you can reroute your income. Tax advantages are provided by these accounts, including tax-free growth, tax-deductible donations, and tax-free withdrawals for eligible expenses.
Giving money to family members who are in lower tax levels is another way to divert income to a lower tax bracket. You can give family members gifts of up to a particular amount of money each year without having to pay gift tax thanks to the annual gift tax exception.
In conclusion, the three “D’s” of tax planning Deduct, Defer, and Divert are crucial tactics that can assist you and your business(es) in legally reducing your tax payments. By maximizing deductions, delaying income or tax payments, and rerouting income to lower tax bands or tax-advantaged accounts, you can minimize your tax liabilities and maximize your financial resources.
It is significant to remember that tax planning methods can be intricate and should be carried out with the aid of a tax expert (like us!) to guarantee adherence to tax rules and regulations